tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232Sun, 04 Dec 2016 14:15:16 +0000Crazy Scary Azeri stuffSilly stuffMixed observationsCrazy Azeri stuffCrazy UK stuffCrazy anywhere stuffParentingCulture clashSad and serious stuffjust stuffDating and sexOn religionShort storiesCrazy Soviet stuffFriends and friendshipsGuest postingscultural shenanigansInterviewsGuestsScary Azeri Foreign here. Foreign there. Foreign everywhere.
Now in Doha. http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)Blogger381125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-5836509513083549532Wed, 26 Oct 2016 17:42:00 +00002016-10-26T10:42:04.730-07:00How some older Azeri ladies party, or a spooky Halloween story.
As Halloween is around the corner and some of us have not just one but two parties to go to, I
thought it was perfect timing to share a fascinating story from my mother.
Speaking of Halloween. Last year I loved my costume. I am not, to be honest, a big fan of fancy dress
parties, and for years chose to ignore Halloween costumes altogether.
However, last year, since everybody else was http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/10/how-some-older-azeri-ladies-party-or.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-2709436069068482761Thu, 13 Oct 2016 12:36:00 +00002016-10-13T05:57:15.177-07:00My first exclusive media event.
I have noticed a few times from occasional passive
aggressive comments some readers left on Scary Azeri Facebook page that they
were under the impression I got paid for this blogging thing. That, in reality
of course is, very sadly, not true.
Nobody pays me and nobody wants to sell me any ads. Nothing of the sort
really happens, it is just something I do. Like other people who, you http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/10/my-first-exclusive-media-event.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-7863420581886638419Fri, 23 Sep 2016 06:39:00 +00002016-09-22T23:39:19.214-07:00Another travel blog! This time-Sri Lanka.
We have just come back from another holiday. I feel a bit awkward to even say it, because we only just had the summer away, and
suddenly going off again on another break, but the truth, in more detail is as follows:
One drunken night, we agreed with compound
friends that we should go together and once committed, we stuck to the promise,
which was a great way to actually go, and not http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/09/another-travel-blog-this-time-sri-lanka.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-6830662009633414325Wed, 07 Sep 2016 14:37:00 +00002016-09-07T07:46:12.595-07:00About beautiful Azeri mountains. And bears.
'Ma’am', my maid said this morning, showing me her mobile phone. 'Look, my auntie. She had a heart
attack'. She showed me a photo of an older woman in a hospital bed. I said I was
sorry to hear about it. 'Ma’am', she added…'My auntie, she is a lesbian'. That
information was not really relevant, but I nodded respectfully. 'Ma’am', she
added, 'Three of my aunties are lesbians'.
'Well', I said, 'http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/09/about-beautiful-azeri-mountains-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-3025816208271881296Sat, 25 Jun 2016 05:43:00 +00002016-06-25T07:58:04.901-07:00A very positive approach to life
I guess the most logical thing to blog about today would be
Brexit.
But, since everything that could be said has already been said over a
million times all over social media, I am not going to say much about it. To be
honest, I am confused why people reacted so passionately about it. Because, frankly, Europe is fucked.
The UK is also fucked, whether it chose to remain or leave. The whole worldhttp://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-very-positive-approach-to-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-6730827747957517049Thu, 26 May 2016 15:41:00 +00002016-05-26T08:41:55.295-07:00About one burrito. And Soviet bananas. And happiness.
A few years ago, we were talking about a holiday that our
friends had gone on with some other friends. 'They were disappointed',
they said, laughing, 'as they just could not understand why every day had to be
planned around where we were going for
lunch and dinner!'
Ah, I said, next time you should go with us.
I don't ever underestimate the importance of food in my life. Food
can makehttp://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/05/about-one-burrito-and-soviet-bananas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-2256629421201931194Sun, 15 May 2016 17:23:00 +00002016-05-15T10:47:51.300-07:00About sexual harassment. When you are in your 40's
Teacher: Explain the word 'harassment', please
Student: I once dated a girl. Her-ass-meant a lot to me.
I have had a fascinating couple of days. Which made me think about harassment. And before I continue, I want to clarify. I am not talking about any sort of serious sexual harassment. I am talking about the kind that we girls ( ladies?) all experience at some point in our lives. You http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/05/about-sexual-harassment-when-you-are-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-7203250166651334756Tue, 26 Apr 2016 15:51:00 +00002016-04-26T08:51:06.939-07:00Singapore travel report.
I decided recently that I am becoming wiser. This, of
course, is one of my many delusions, but I would like to think that it were possible.
You see, I suddenly resized that I
started to prefer experiences to possessions. That, my friends, to an
Azeri, is a huge, huge developmental step. As Azeri, I have been preconditioned
to love (preferably expensive) things.
So anyway, instead http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/04/singapore-travel-report.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-5039095558630339911Sun, 28 Feb 2016 17:25:00 +00002016-02-28T09:25:18.785-08:00About therapeutic qualities of Facebook.Yes, for real.
There are days when I simply love Facebook.
I know people often complain, and there have been numerous
articles on the subject, about how unhappy they become from witnessing other
people’s online happiness. Their glamorous dresses, their new cars, their
paradise beach photos with bare toes and cocktails in front of endless white
sands and turquoise blue seas…
However, there also are http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/02/about-therapeutic-qualities-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-1360721844147131284Fri, 05 Feb 2016 19:17:00 +00002016-02-05T11:27:38.011-08:00Let him play that golf.
My friend was telling me about her late father. How much she
missed him and what an amazing person he was. You know, she said, I will tell
you this one short story about him, which would paint you the picture straight
away. And it did. I knew immediately what she was talking about.
Look, she said, one night we had guests over at our house
and one visitor accidentally dropped and broke a http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2016/02/let-him-play-that-golf.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-563969329342439131Tue, 24 Nov 2015 17:28:00 +00002015-11-24T09:37:55.152-08:00Playing the game.
A while ago, I was meeting an English friend for coffee. I
mean, it was, very possibly, sometime in the beginning of October. We were
chatting about plans for winter, plans for Christmas, whether we were staying
in Doha or going home, when I asked her if she had finished her Christmas
shopping already.
Well, yes, I am almost done, T responded and I chocked on my
drink.
I was, http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/11/playing-game.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-7614618931710452202Wed, 11 Nov 2015 18:50:00 +00002015-11-11T19:14:03.681-08:00The autumn of your life.
I was trying new shorts on the other day, getting ready for
a party. Is this too much? I asked Husband, concerned about that balance. He said that they were
fine. But do I not look stupid? I had to check. Do I not look like a cheap
whore?
‘I have to say’…Husband announced the next morning, ‘that
you were probably the only non-mumsy wife at that party!’
Right, so the shorts are definitely http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-autumn-of-your-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-4334764603686548970Thu, 29 Oct 2015 15:39:00 +00002015-10-29T08:39:33.245-07:00A very short one. About Mitzi the cat.
I was driving past a villa in our compound where a big family used to live, for a few years, until last summer. A dark gray cat was sitting outside. Looking lost.
Look, I said to my big girl, isn’t that the cat those girls always fed and played with?
Yes, she replied. That’s Mitzi.
Great, I thought, she even has a name.
When people love animals, they often do things that they think arehttp://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-very-short-one-about-mitzi-cat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-493320201410178247Sun, 18 Oct 2015 04:35:00 +00002015-10-17T21:35:45.973-07:00When good husbands go bad.
'Wake to see
Your true emancipation is a fantasy'
Muse. Supremacy.
‘It is a problem of expat life’ a friend of mine concluded thoughtfully,
cigarette smoke emphasising the significance of her statement.
I don’t know, I said. I think it is maybe our age. And a
different stage of life we are entering.
Think about it. Before, it was all about dating. Then weddings.
Then baby http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/10/when-good-husbands-go-bad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-654255129569501216Sun, 04 Oct 2015 16:22:00 +00002015-10-04T09:22:48.002-07:00What not to wear, or Scary Azeri's new (potential) business.
A friend of mine told me recently that, judging from my
Facebook pictures, all I do these days is drink a lot. She even assumed, not
sure why? That I don’t even read anything anymore. My brain, according to her,
is atrophying. OK, I thought. She is being mean, but she has got a point. I do not
work. And I do party more than I did in the UK. Even though, I do still read a
lot. And not just http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-not-to-wear-or-scary-azeris-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-7396504662728659328Sat, 19 Sep 2015 19:03:00 +00002015-09-19T12:03:45.714-07:00OK. Here it is. Finally.
I have been meaning to blog about my summer trip to Baku for
weeks now, but I guess I had so much
to say about it, that I needed time to gather my thoughts. I am not even sure I
am ready now.
I mean…WOW. I was
overwhelmed. In a good way.
As Big Chris said in Lock, Stock and Two smocking
barrels…’It’s been emotional’.
I don’t know what I expected to find after not having beenhttp://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/09/ok-here-it-is-finally.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-8940670807144203527Sun, 02 Aug 2015 20:37:00 +00002015-08-02T20:52:09.935-07:00Those lucky, lucky bears.
Holidays always make me feel a bit strange. There
is something disturbing in how fast you can transfer from one completely
different environment into another, get settled and used to it; and then come
back to your home, where everything suddenly looks new and unfamiliar- for
just the first few minutes after arrival. And then, it feels as if nothing
actually even happened. Have I just been tohttp://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/08/those-lucky-lucky-bears.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-8489644666700293931Wed, 01 Jul 2015 16:13:00 +00002015-07-01T09:13:57.282-07:00Ramadan experience. Quite pleasant, actually.
A few days before Ramadan, I was having a coffee with a Muslim friend. She asked if I was freaking out about Ramadan. 'I wonder', she said, 'how difficult it is for you guys, if you are not fasting? It seems to me that all non-Muslim expats are dreading Ramadan?'
I just shrugged my shoulders. I had no proper Ramadan experience yet, in the three years of living in Doha, simply because I was http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/07/ramadan-experience-quite-pleasant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-2543102595293703741Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:16:00 +00002015-06-25T09:19:37.635-07:00Check it out. Scary Azeri making an attempt at inspirational posting.
Scary Azeri as a toddler.
I started off wanting to write about ugly people.
You see, I had a fascinating thought (well, I thought it was fascinating but according to Husband it was a mean idea and he stopped me discussing it in front of our children, not to raise them into shallow individuals like myself) about ugly people finding http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/06/check-it-out-scary-azeri-making-attempt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-1452836148583788583Thu, 14 May 2015 15:09:00 +00002015-05-14T08:09:40.820-07:00Do you speak…. Italian?
I was chatting to a friend this morning and she was telling me a story that, under typical circumstances, would not be worth remembering. It was your normal kind of conversation we girls often have, about skipping the gym too many times, about possibly feeling fatter than usual…She described the horror she felt as she stood in front of a full length mirror the night before. 'I told my husband'http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/05/do-you-speak-italian.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-4600286009283724566Sun, 10 May 2015 19:16:00 +00002015-05-10T12:16:01.432-07:00Love me, forgive me for having a dog. Even if you don't have one yourself. I have had a little falling out with an old friend recently. Oh, we will be fine. It happened before and it will happen again, and this time, it was not even a real falling out. Just a teeny disagreement. I would not even call it a disagreement, as I chose to say nothing and go silent on her for a while, until she decides to be nice again.
However, it got me thinking about how your lifestyle andhttp://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/05/love-me-forgive-me-for-having-dog-even.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-6617581466893972491Wed, 01 Apr 2015 19:21:00 +00002015-04-01T23:37:37.042-07:00When change will come, whether invited or not.
The world is split into two types of people: Those who fill the sink to wash up and those who wash their dishes under the running water.
I am the latter.
Husband said I did not like change. A very illogical statement, if you ask me, since he knows perfectly well that I thrive on change. I mean, come on. I am a Gemini, I wither down to nothing without change. But, since neither of us http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/04/when-change-will-come-whether-invited.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-2530366616241743857Tue, 10 Mar 2015 18:44:00 +00002015-03-11T10:21:09.204-07:00Dubai according to Scary Azeri, who used to be a Dubai virgin but no longer is.
Well, my dear friends, I no longer am a Dubai virgin.
Whenever I would mention in a conversation that I had never been to Dubai, the reaction was always the same: Whaaaat??? You have not been to Dubai??
So now I have. So many times so many friends would tell me how great it was. How it was so much cooler than Doha, so much more relaxed, so much more fun…I kept thinking it was just an http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/03/dubai-according-to-scary-azeri-who-used.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-7855741784468802646Tue, 10 Feb 2015 17:35:00 +00002015-02-10T09:35:38.609-08:00Please don’t tell me you are Canadian.
I have talked about national identity on this blog
before, so it is not entirely a fresh topic, yet the one that matters to me.
Just like one can choose a Facebook relationships status from all the options, my answer for "Where are you from?" question would be It’s complicated. Because, to simply say that I was from Azerbaijan would
paint a somewhat deceptive picture. People would not http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/02/please-dont-tell-me-you-are-canadian.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545713293332836232.post-6711877332521531305Mon, 02 Feb 2015 05:27:00 +00002015-02-02T08:06:26.596-08:00About one very illuminating night out.
I have recently been proven wrong. You know how a few weeks
ago (or was it months?) I complained about not being able to say what you want, even with friends? Well, just as if to prove me wrong, I was myself suddenly on
the other side of the barrier. Remember now, this is me we are talking about. Me, who is often rude and inappropriate, and
not easily embarrassed or shocked. I was, http://scaryazeri.blogspot.com/2015/02/about-one-very-illuminating-night-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (scaryazeri)1